Mainalo

History & Area Guide

 

According to legend the mountain takes its name from Maenalus son of Lykaion, King of Arcadia, who ruled from Mt. Lykaion. The Arcadians who lived in the area during the early Hellenistic period believed in the god “Pan” (“Παν”) – the god of shepherds and the wild – and this deity would later be worshiped across the Hellenic world.  Important during the ancient period was the village of Stemnitsa (“Στεμνίτσα”). The area continued to be inhabited, with a monastic community growing in the gorge of Lousios river (“Λουσιος”) during the medieval period. In the 17^th century European explorers who utilized the works of Pausanias to travel into the Peloponnese would call the entire mountain range “Mainalo” after the author, who had however, described a single mountain top near the city of Tripolis (“Τριπολη”), which in 2011 was confirmed as Agio-Lias (1,117m) [“Αγιο-Λιάς”], a site which houses the ruins of a temple from the 1^st century BC.

The area would become a center for the national struggle for independence during the Greek War of Independence (c. 1821) during which many of the men of the villages of Mainalo went on to fight. Many of them saw success, and some of the most well-known come from here. For example, Kolokotronis ("Κολοκοτρώνης") was raised in the village of Piana (“Πιανα”) where visitors can see his home, nestled within the protected area of Arkoudorema. Today many of these villages remain very popular with Greek tourists especially in weekends during Fall and Spring. Vytina is the largest town in the area with Stemnitsa, Alonistaina and Dimitsana also being popular.

The Mountain Range

The East massif is the most important part of the range. It hosts every single one of the alpine summits as well as the Mainalo Ski Center. The East massif is bordered by the Villages of Vytina and Alonistaina on the West and the Tripoli plateau on the East. This massif is marked by two important alpine formations, Ostrakina Massif, and the peak of Aintinis (1,849m); these two formations are connected to each other through the Mourtzia (1,761m) ridge. The massif is very steep and features tight packed glades in elevations up to 1,900m, with few summits being completely void of trees. In the map you can clearly see many peaks of the massif as well as other important points of interest. The two main hiking centers are the Ostrakina Plateau, where the ski resort is located, and the village of Roeino (“Ροεινο”). It may be possible to hike from Roeino to the plateau via Mourtzia ridge, it would however require staying on the mountain overnight.

There are many different trails throughout the Eastern massif, the main trails connect some of the villages in the range. These trails are not dense and create more of a net than a circuit; the higher you go the less trails there are. This being said the southern peaks of the range only feature one access point; this is also the case with Ostrakina (1,981m) where there are only two trails that lead up to the summit via the plateau. The Eastern massif offers interesting opportunities for hiking and skiing in mildly steep and exposed terrain on the transition between forest and alpine.

 

The West massif is a large "sea" of lower peaks that most closely resemble rolling hills; these peaks are low prominence and under the tree line. This area is much larger, from Vytina to Megalopoli to the South and Dimitsana to the West. There is sadly not much information on the peaks but what seems to be the highest point is the “Pleiovouni” (1,643m) just above the village of Zigovitsi. There are many other peaks between 1,500m-1,600m of elevation. Notable summit is also that of "Madara" (1,585m) which is home to the Madara fire-lookout on its imposing ridge, situated above the vilage of Elati. The good thing is that there are many trails, the Mainalon trail long distance trail runs through almost the entire range with so many side trails and access roads. Finally, the section on the North by the village of Magouliana has two named and prominent peaks Psilo Vouno (1,503m) and Alogovouni (1,474m), underneath them is located a former sanatorium now converted into a hotel.

 

Photos of the Range

 

List of Highest Peaks

Getting There

Due to the wide geographic span of the range the following list of directions are for some of the central locations in the area. Please keep in mind even though the roads are paved, they may not be fully cleaned during the winter and especially after storms, additionally, ice tends to form on the roads of the area. If you are planning on visiting in the winter make sure to have snow chains and/or winter tyres.

• Athens - Mainalo Ski Center
• Athens - Village of Vytina
• Athens - Village of Stemnitsa

Climate: When to Climb

• Fall: Most popular season for hiking and cultural visitors (note 28th of October National Holiday is especially busy), weather is usually stable but can get cloudy & rainy. Best conditions for Mainalon Trail and general summiting between September and early November.
• Winter: Ostrakina plateau and high peaks get snow cover, weather is usually stable outside storms with weather windows of a week or more.
• Spring: Starting in March the snow begins to melt and the weather gets more rainy and windy. Late March through May offer the best time for Mainalon Trail and other sub-tree-line hiking. From late April it is usually possible to hike Ostrakina (1,981m) without snow.
• Summer: Hiking in the summer is generally not recommended due to the location (South) and low elevations. Until mid-June it may be possible to hike in the Eastern high peaks. Hiking in the forested West is not recommended unless the weather is unusually cold or cloudy. Beware of afternoon thunderstorms at alpine peaks. 

 

The Mainalon Ski Center is located on the Ostrakina plateau at 1,600m of elevation. The resort is pretty small, only boasting three ski lifts and gets seasonal snowfall – it is very close to Athens. The maximum elevation is 1,860m at the top of Aetos (Eagle) anchor lift, which provides access to 5 runs, 3 reds, 1 black, and 1 blue. The maximum elevation change is 360m. The resort has a main chalet at the bottom of the hill, along with the tickets and rentals, it also has a small coffee shop at the base of Aetos. The skiing is almost entirely under the treeline, with runs being cleared of trees and being somewhat well groomed. Runs 2, 3 and 6 sometimes remain ungroomed while 5 and 7 are usually very well groomed. There are moderate opportunities for side-country and freeride skiing. Touring is available on the backside of the hill.

 

According to the ski resort website, 2023 lift prices were between €8-€12 on weekdays and €10-€16 on weekends. Ski bus from Athens is at €15. 

Authors Note: Personally, I find it to be one of the best single-day resorts in Greece, when it is open and there is fresh snow that is. Enough challenging slopes, many inbound features and small enough to fully explore in one day of skiing without it being too limiting.

 

Accessing the backcountry for ski and snowboard touring is simple in this range, with both the ski center and a number of villages being at high elevations. There are, however, no designated ski touring routes or popular areas, the summit of Ostrakina (1,981m), Sfentami (1,870m), Mesovouni (1,860m), and Mavri Korifi (1,818m) are all in the vicinity of the ski resort. Other summits and areas, especially in the West are generally far from human activity and thus, can be dangerous. As usual Search & Rescue is lacking and can take a long time to reach the area, additionally there is no avalanche or snowpack reporting from the resort or any other organization.

• Get accurate GPX files for the area via Hellas Path - Mainalo
• Anavasi.gr 1:40k Mainalo Area Map (€5) ISBN: 978-960-8195-66-0
• Anavasi.gr 1:22k Lousios River Area Map (€5) ISBN: 978-960-8195-29-5

Updated: March 2024.